Top-lifter for jars, glasses, and cans.



B. GARBBIL. TOP LIFTER FOR JARS, GLASSES, AND CANS.

APPLICATION FILED 11mm. 1910.

V 1,@53,092. Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

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5' NT @Fifihl TQIWLTFTER' FOR JARS, GTJASSES, AND CANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913,

Application filed Junefi, 1910. Serial No. 564,770.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN Gannon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Top-Lifters for Jars, Glasses, and Cans, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to appliances for removing covers from cans, jelly glasses, mustard jars, buckets, and the like, when the covers are held by friction or vacuum. It has foran object the provision of such a device. of simple structure, which may be manufactured from sheet material, utilizing a minimum quantity thereof, and involving a small number of treatments, in its production, thereby reducing the cost.

An important object is to provide a cover engaging-member so formed as to facilitate its engagement beneath, and the retention of, the top-edge therein. 4

In securing the covers onjelly glasses, and mustard jars, it is customary, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, to confine beneath the cover a piece of paper or other suitable fabric of'a character, to pre- 4 vent contents from being spoiled by the corrosion of the metallic cover. In cans and small buckets in which goods are dispensed, such as blacking, lard, and other merchandise, it is customary to form a rib in the body of the receptacle at a proper point for the lower edge of the cap or cover to abut snugly thereagainst.

It is therefore an important object of the. present invention to provide a. top lifter having an edge engaging portion adapted to be forced into either the fabric or rib, for ready engagement beneath the edge of the top.

There have been many prior devices for lifting covers, but they have been unsatisfactory because of the diiiiculty and sometimes impossibility of engaging them with a cover edge when paper is confined therebe-neath, or when a rib is formed on the container abutting the cover edge.

. .Qther objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the drawings.

in the drawings, Figure 1 View of the implement lit-use, hi front view of the top -edge enge nig a perspective 'It comprises the handle portion 11, thefulcrum arm 12 and the lifting'tooth 13, formed upon the handle portion close to its junction with the arm; The arm extends approximately at a right angle to the handle, but is slightly curved inward for a function to be indicated. The handle por? tion: is twisted a little less than a quarter-v turn at a point immediately adjacent the arm, the rotation of the twisted portions being produced on an axis coinciding with the major axis of the handle, and the tooth is formed by nicking, filing or otherwise treat-- ing the junction of one edge and one side face of the handle a short distance above the beginning of the twist. A plane passed through the point of the tooth parallel to the major plane of the device will bisect the angle 14 formed by adjacent faces of the handle immediately-beneath the point, as shown in Fig.- 2, this angular portion forming the front of the tooth 13. This angular front portion forms a ready means for indenting obstructing material beneath the edge of a cap, such as the rib usually formed on lard buckets, or paper or other material partly confined by and projecting below the edge of the cap, which rib or material prevents satisfactory operation of the prior devices made for this use. and sometimes make them entirely inoperative.

The tooth is triangular in transverse section, the upper face being inclined down wardly from its point, as at 15 in Fig. 1, the intersection of the three faces forming' the point, a recess 16, formed inwardly of and extending above the tooth, is adapted to receive a top edge engaged over the tooth.

The major axis of the handle is inclined outward slightly with respect to the direction of the line at the junction of the side faces of the tooth. Thus, when the tooth of the lifter is presented against a jelly glass as in Fig. 1, the handle is slightly inclined away from the side of the container sufficiently to permit it to be readily grasp-ed by the hand of an operator.

In use, the implement presented ton a1 "tion of the arm-owing to its inward curve-to press inwardly upon the periphery of the top sufliciently to prevent the disengagement of the tooth from beneath the edge of the top, and also serve as a fulcrum, causing the tooth to press upwardly upon the top, until the top is dislodged' It will be understood that the term top used in this application refers to any 010-, sure held upon a receptacle after the manner of jelly glass covers.

It should be observed that the formation of the device is such the operation, the disposition of the handle with relation to the container allows the application of a maximum amount of force with a minimum exertion on the part of the operator.

The formation of the tooth may, of course, be accomplished in several ways, a modified method being illustrated in Fig. 3, where the opposite sides of the handle are beveled to form an angular entrance edge '14 in which the recess 16 and upper side 15 of the tooth may be formed by the methods described.

"It will be seen that the angular outer portion of the tooth performs an important 18-either of these opthat in the final part of function in insuring the ready and positive 40 engagement of the of 'oftwo side acesand point beneath a can top or glass cover.

In each form described it will he noted 1 that the poi t is formed by the intersection prising a strip of strap metal bent to form a handle and-a fulcrum arm approximately at right angles to each other, the handle being twisted at itsinner end to lie in approximately coincident with the direction of the arm, and having a liftingtooth formed from the material thereof on its inner edge.

2. A device of the class described comprising an elongated'piece of sheet metal bent to form a fulcrum arm, adapted for engagement across a top, "and a thereto to lie spaced adjacent the body 0 cate receptacle over which the arm may be losaid handle being twisted adjacent 1135' base for a quarter-turn on an axis coincider'ttgyvith the major one of the handle, and i by the junction of tooth formed integrally at the edge formed the inner edge face and one side face of the handle intermediately of the twisted portion,

for penetration of material in the path ofthe tooth when presented laterally against a receptacle, as described.

Intestimony whereof I afiix-my signa-- ture inpresence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN GARBEIL.

Witnesses:

F. H. RIDGWAY, -MINa M. MARR.

a plane handle at an angle 

